THE Co-op has fully opened a distribution centre in Coventry which has created 670 jobs.

The national distribution centre - at Central Boulevard, Prologis Park, near the Ricoh Arena - started operations last year, but has only just been fully completed and officially opened.

About 400 lorry loads will leave the site each week, carrying everything from food and drink to electrical items.

All the goods passing through the warehouse will be destined for the shelves of the Co-operative Group's stores across Britain.

It will supply more stores than any other retail logistics site in the country, and serve some 3,300 food stores nationwide.

Clients include the group's own stores and those of all other independent Co-op societies that form the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, such as the Heart of England, Midcounties and Midlands Co-operative Societies.

Co-operative Group chief executive Martin Beaumont said: "The opening of the national distribution centre and the reorganisation of our logistics network is a huge step forward in terms of food distribution for the Co-operative movement.

"It will help us provide even better service levels to our stores and customers.

"We now have a much more effective and efficient supply chain which enables us to negotiate significantly better terms with our suppliers."

The Coventry site is powered by renewable energy, has 312,000 sq ft of warehouse space and more than two miles of shelving.

Some 1.2million cases are packed and delivered weekly to make up the 10,000 orders that are dispatched each week.

Goods are transported to a network of regional centres, and then to stores or local warehouses.

Kelvin Beardsley, distribution centre manager, said: "We are always looking at ways to improve our operation and the quality of service we offer.

"Having one national centre, in such a central location, is more efficient and reduces the number of journeys vehicles have to make to deliver to us.

"It also reduces the number of journeys, and miles, we need to deliver to our stores"